Door-latch.



H W. STEEGB. noon LATCH. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22, 1909.

Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

'UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

HENRY W. STEEGE, F \VESTGATE, IOWA.

DOOR-LATCH.

Application filed November 22, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY TV. Srnnon, a citizen of the United States residing at Westgate; in the county of Fayette and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Door-Latch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door latches and its object is to provide a simple device of this character which can be readily reversed so as to be applied to either side of a door, the construction of the latch being such as to permit the same to be easily actuated from either side of the door.

A further object is to provide a latch de signed to latch a door either in open or in closed position.

Another object is to provide means whereby the latch can be prevented from being actuated by live stock.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings, Figure, 1 is a perspective view of the latch and of portions of the door and the door casing used in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the latch and portions of the door and casing. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the latch and adjoining portions of the door. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the movable member of the latch. Fig. 5 is a section through a portion of the latch showing the engaging portion of the keeper of the movable member of the latch in elevation.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference A designates a door hingedly con nected as at B to a supporting structure C, said door being movable against a jamb D in which is formed a recess cl across which extends a slotted plate 1 constituting the keeper of the latch. Said latch consists of a base plate 2 secured in any preferred manner to the door A and having oppositely extending alining studs 3 which project into apertures 4 formed in parallel arms constituting the end portions of the latch and which studs 3 form the pivots for the latch piece 7, 8, 10. One of these arms has been indicated at 5 and is provided with opposed Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 191(1 Serial No. 529,355.

notches 6 and a terminal head 7, the end of this head being rounded and said head being so proportioned as to pass through the slot in the keeper 1 and into the recess (Z. The other arm 8 of the latch is longer than the arm 5 and is designed to oscillate within a slot 9 extending transversely through the door A, this arm thus constituting means whereby the latch can be actuated from the side of the door opposite to that on which the base plate is secured.

The intermediate portion 10 of the latch is provided with a V-shaped extension 11 constituting a finger piece whereby the latch can be tilted, and a broad spring leaf 12 is secured at one end upon the base 2 and its other or free end bears against the intermediate portion 10 as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This spring serves to hold the arms 5 and 8 normally perpendicularly to the faces of the door. Straps 13 are secured to opposite sides of the door and close to the arm 8, these straps constituting handles whereby the door can be readily swung in either direction and also constituting guards to prevent live stock from pushing againstthe arm 8 or the extension 11 and releasing the door.

An angular bracket 1a is secured to the supporting structure C at a distance from hinge B equal to the distance from said hinge to the extension 11, this bracket being provided with an arm 15 on which is arranged a projection 16 disposed in the path of extension 11.

It is to be understood that when the door A is closed, the head 7 will move against one end wall of the slot in keeper 1 and will be deflected either upwardly or downwardly thereby until the head has passed into the recess (Z. The spring 12 will then promptly return the arms 5 and 8 to their normal positions and the wall of the slot in the keeper will thus become seated within one of the notches 6 and the door will therefore be held in closed position. A person standing at one side of the door can disengage the latch from its keeper by pushing downwardly on the extension 11 and should a person be at the other side of the door the latch can be disengaged by pulling upwardly on the arm 8. In either instance the head 7 is elevated out of engagement with the lower wall of the slot in the keeper and the door can then be swung open. If it is moved back against the supporting structure C, the extension 11 will travel over and engage the projection 16 on arm 13 and thus lock the door in open position.

It will be seen that this latch is very simple in construction and can be readily applied, and, by reason of the peculiar c011- struction of the head 7 said latch can be used at either side of a door, thus rendering it unnecessary to construct rights and lefts.

Various changes can of course be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

lVhat is claimed is 1. A latch including a base having a lining oppositely extending projections, arms pivotally mounted upon the projections and connected by an integral intermediate portion constituting a handle, one of said arms having a keeper engaging head, and the other arm constituting a handle, a spring interposed between the base and' the intermediate portion for holding said portion and the arms normally in predeteri'nined positions, and combined handles and guards secured to the door and extending close to and beyond the terminals of the handle arm of the latch.

2. The combination with a supporting structure and a door mounted for swinging movement thereon, of a latch carried by the door and including a base, arms pivotally mounted upon opposed portions of the base, one of said arms extending through the door and constituting a handle, an intermediate portion integral with the arms and having a projection constituting a handle, a head upon the other arm for engaging a keeper, a spring secured to the base and bearing against the intermediate portion to hold the arms normally in predetermined positions, and means upon the supporting structure and in the path of the projection for engaging the same to hold door in open position.

3. The combination with a relatively fixed keeper and a door mounted for swinging movement of a latch including a base secured to the door, projections upon opposite portions of the base and in alinement, arms pivotally mounted upon said projections one of the arms extending through the door and constituting a handle, an intermediate portion fixedly connecting the arms and having an angular projecting portion constituting a handle, a head upon the other arm and movable into engagement with the keeper, a spring interposed between the base and in termediate portions and constituting means for holding the arms normally in predetermined positions and combined handles and guards secured to the door and extending close to and beyond the terminals of the handle arm of the latch.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atiixed my signatm'e in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY lV. STEEGE. \Vitnesses E. 7. Loser,

l. S. COLEMAN. 

